Battle of Tal Fawaz

The Battle of Tal Fawaz (14 October 1973) was a battle of the Yom Kippur War, fought in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. 6,000 mechanized infantry troops of the Israel Defense Forces, commanded by Haim Bar-Lev, attempted to break through Egyptian Army positions in the Sinai desert, and they were met with waves of Egyptian infantrymen and Soviet-made tanks. The Israeli armor and Egyptian armor engaged in a large tank battle, and the Israeli tanks proved superior; among the Israeli tanks were the Tiran-6 tanks, which had originally been captured Egyptian T-54/55 tanks before being repaired and modernized. Some prototype Merkava tanks also saw action in the battle, destroying the Egyptian tanks quite easily. The Israeli troops, including both regular IDF troops and Sayeret Matkal commandos, succeeded in securing the Egyptian-held heights, and the Egyptians were repelled and forced to retreat. A total of 132 Israeli troops and 236 Egyptian troops were killed, and both sides lost 6 tanks.